CCJ Remains Committed To The Region

Port of Spain, Trinidad. Both Grenada and Antigua and Barbuda voted against the move to have the
Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as their highest appellate court in separate referenda held yesterday.
President of the CCJ, the Hon. Mr. Justice Adrian Saunders said, “while the news is not what we hoped
for, we respect the people of both nations and their decision. The court will naturally continue ongoing
initiatives with justice sector bodies in each of these countries, and the wider Caribbean, through the
JURIST project and otherwise.”

In both Grenada and Antigua and Barbuda, the turnout of voters was low. In Grenada, of 21, 979 votes
cast, some 9,846 persons voted to adopt the CCJ as the final Court of Appeal. In Antigua and Barbuda,
the margin was a little closer. There were 9,234 votes against and 8,509 votes in favour of the adoption
of the CCJ. The CCJ will still be serving both Grenada and Antigua and Barbuda. The CCJ President
emphasised that, “these results will not, of course, deter us from serving with distinction those nations
that currently send their final appeals to us. As well, the Court will also continue to process and hear
applications from all CARICOM States, and from CARICOM itself, in our Original Jurisdiction, and
our justice reform work in the region will also continue”.

In addition, there is an Original Jurisdiction case currently before the Court originating from Grenada.
The JURIST Project, which is a multiyear justice reform project being implemented by the Caribbean
Court of Justice on behalf of the Conference of Heads of Judiciary of CARICOM states, is working on
a Sexual Offences Model Court to be housed at the High Court of Antigua and Barbuda in 2019. The
CCJ Academy of Law is also hosting a legal conference in Jamaica in December 2018 at which jurists
from both countries, as well as the wider Caribbean, are participating.

Mr. Justice Saunders stated, “one of the positives that came out of this exercise is that there was
sustained public education in both nations and the conversation about the CCJ intensified. We can see
the fact that there was more interest in our website, ccj.org, and on our social media platforms, on
LinkedIn and Twitter. As we begin to implement our Strategic Plan for the 2019-2023, which includes
a renewed focus on public education, we will certainly be taking advantage of the increased audience,
and the interest that has been piqued, to provide more information about the work of the Court.”